A large number of semiconductor gas sensors are presently in use in many parts of the world largely to provide early warning of the development of an explosion hazard (e.g. escaping flammable gas) or the presence of toxic gases or vapors in ambient air.
A sensing element normally comprising a semiconducting material and presenting a high surface-to-bulk ratio is deployed on a heated substrate between two metallic electrodes. The presence of gas posing a hazard is detected by a sensible change in the resistance of the semiconducting element by means of the electrodes that are incorporated in a suitable electric circuit. The device is thus a gas-sensitive resistor.
The most commonly used material in gas sensitive resistors used to measure impurity gases in air is tin dioxide. Tin dioxide sensors, though often useful in particular alarm functions, have generally been found to suffer from a lack of selectivity.
Semiconducting oxides for use in gas sensitive resistors must present surfaces of adequate extent capable of altering resistance in response to changes in the concentration of the target gas but not to changes in concentration of interferents such as relative humidity. The changes in resistance depend upon the oxide having an optimum electronic structure and a catalytic characteristic for interacting with the target gas.
A major objective in the development of S/C gas sensors is the avoidance of cross-sensitivity, initially from the ubiquitous interference from changes in the water vapor content of the atmosphere, since ambient RH levels vary freely in ambient atmospheres. There is also a need for selective response between different gases other than water vapor and the search for greater selectivity is now extending beyond tin oxide to other semi-conducting oxides.
The composition of the oxide surface dictates the way a semiconductor gas sensor performs.
If the particle size is 1 micron and the particles are equiaxed. Then a mono-layer surface coverage of a xe2x80x9cforeignxe2x80x9d oxide will represent an xe2x80x9cimpurityxe2x80x9d concentration of 0.1 mole %. In fact, it has been reported that a surface covering of only one tenth of a mono-layer of silver oxide is sufficient to alter the sensing characteristics of tin oxide to more resemble those of silver oxide than of the substrate (tin oxide). (Ref. McAleer et al. 2,).
Following such considerations applicant""s earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,662, describing the ozone detection characteristics of a WO3 sensor teaches that the sensor material must be at least 99% pure.
Applicant""s previous patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,662, shows that tungsten trioxide, WO3, is a useful sensor for ozone at low concentrations (1 ppm or less) in air but found that the WO3 needed to be of 99% purity or better. Application, Ser. No. 09/132,216, shows that substoichiometric metal trioxides MO3-x, where the metal is predominantly molybdenum, are useful in gas sensors for a number of gases. Further needs exist for superior detection of oxidizing gases, which is addressed by the present invention.
The present invention relates to sensors and more particularly to sensors suitable for use in gases and gaseous mixtures.
In a preferred embodiment, a sensor is provided that is suitable for use in a gas or gaseous mixture. The sensor includes a gas sensitive material capable of exhibiting a response in the form of an increase or a decrease in an electrical property of the material in the presence of a gas and that exhibits a small response to changes in the moisture content of the atmosphere.
In another preferred embodiment, the gas sensitive material is provided with two or more electrodes in communication with the gas sensitive material and the gas sensitive material is arranged so as to be capable of being contacted with a gas or gaseous mixture.
A sensor in accordance with the present invention may be used as a gas sensor in quantitative and/or qualitative determinations with gases or gaseous mixtures. The electrodes may be in direct communication with the gas sensitive material by being in contact therewith.
In this application, the term xe2x80x9cgasxe2x80x9d preferably embraces a gas as such and any material that may be present in a gaseous phase, one example of which is a vapor.
The gas sensitive material is a material which responds to a target gas without being affected by changes in relative humidity. Also, the term xe2x80x9cgas sensitive materialxe2x80x9d means a preferred material which is gas (including vapor) sensitive in respect of an electrical property of the material.
The resistance and/or capacitance and/or impedance and/or conductance of the gas sensitive material depends upon the gas or gaseous mixture contacting the gas sensitive material. Thus, by measuring the resistance and/or capacitance and/or impedance of the gas sensitive material the composition of a gas or gaseous mixture can be sensed.
Since the resistance and/or capacitance and/or impedance and/or conductance of the gas sensitive material tends also to be temperature dependent, the sensor also preferably includes a temperature sensing means. The sensor may also include a heating means to enable operating temperature to be adjusted and/or contaminants to be burnt off if required.
It is to be understood that the sensitivity of a gas sensitive material may depend upon the composition of the gas sensitive material. Thus, by selection of the composition of the gas sensitive material its response to a particular gas may be optimized and its response to interferents, such as changes in relative humidity may be minimized.
The resistance and/or conductance and/or impedance may be measured directly. Alternatively, the measurement may be carried out indirectly by incorporating the sensor in a feedback circuit of an oscillator such that the oscillator frequency varies with composition of the gas or gaseous mixture. Gas composition may then be determined using an electronic counter. The signal thus produced may be used to modulate a radio signal and thereby be transmitted over a distance (e.g. by telemetry or as a pulse train along an optical fibre).
Examples of gases that respond to the present sensor include, but are not limited to, chlorine and ozone.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gas sensitive material has two or more electrodes in communication with said gas sensitive material, and the gas sensitive material and the electrodes are in contact with the same gas.
Preferably the gas sensitive material has porosity to give a satisfactory surface area for contact with the gas or gaseous mixture when in use.
The gas sensitive material, for example, may be prepared from an oxide or from an appropriate precursor. The oxide or precursor may optionally be prepared by a gel process such as a sol-gel process or a gel precipitation process.
The powder may be dried and calcined (e.g. for approximately 16 hours) at a temperature of about 700xc2x0 C. depending upon the particular composition of gas sensitive material being prepared. The product resulting from calcination, which may be in the form of a cake, may be ground as required to give a fine powder. If required, grinding and calcination may be repeated several times in order to obtain a more suitable powder.
Subsequently, the fine powder may be pressed (e.g. with the optional addition of a binder, such as a solution of starch or polyvinyl alcohol) into any suitable shape (e.g. a pellet).
The pressing may be followed by a firing (e.g. at the same temperature as the calcination step(s) described above, or at a somewhat higher temperature, for approximately 16 hours).
In addition to assisting in the binding of the powder into desired shapes, the binder also burns out during the firing stage giving rise to porosity.
As an alternative a powder for subsequent calcination may be prepared, for example, by spray drying a solution (e.g. an aqueous solution) of appropriate starting material (e.g. a metal oxalate, metal acetate or metal nitrate).
Electrodes may be applied to the prepared gas sensitive material in any suitable manner. For example, electrodes (e.g. gold electrodes) may be applied by means of screen printing or sputtering.
Alternatively to preparing a sensor by forming a pellet and applying electrodes as disclosed above, a sensor in accordance with the present invention may be formed in any suitable manner. Thus, for example, a parallel plate configuration may be fabricated by applying a first electrode (e.g. of gold) to an insulating substrate (e.g. by screen printing or sputtering), forming a gas sensitive material layer covering at least a portion of the first electrode (e.g. by deposition, for example by screen printing or doctor blading from a suspension or a colloidal dispersion and firing at a temperature in the range of about 450xc2x0-700xc2x0 C. to promote adhesion and mechanical integrity) and forming a second electrode (e.g. of gold) on the gas sensitive material layer (e.g. by screen printing or sputtering).
The second electrode is preferably permeable to facilitate access of gas or gaseous mixture in which the sensor is to be used to the gas sensitive material layer.
By way of further example, a coplanar configuration may be used in the preparation of a sensor in accordance with the present invention.
In such a coplanar configuration, interdigitated electrodes (e.g. of gold) may be formed on an insulating substrate (e.g. by screen printing or by sputtering or by photolithography and etching). The interdigitated electrodes are subsequently covered with a gas sensitive material layer (e.g. by means of deposition, for example by screen printing or doctor blading, from a suspension or a colloidal dispersion) and firing at a temperature in the range of about 450xc2x0-700xc2x0 C. to promote adhesion and mechanical integrity.
The gas sensitive material disclosed by the present invention is comprised of a mixed oxides of general formula WxMo1-xO3.
The inventor has now surprisingly found that the mixed oxide WxMo1-xO3, where preferably x can be in the range 0.01 to 0.99, is very useful for the detection of oxidizing gases and in particular is superior for the detection of ozone. The preferred composition is in the range of 1% to 21% Mo (i.e. 99% to 79% W).
The present example in which the composition of the sensing material is in the range WxMo1-xO3 with x varying from 0.01 to 0.99, is clearly distinct from the device claimed in applicant""s earlier patent.
The inventor has also found that the precipitation of the material as a mixed oxide from an aqueous solution of the ammonium metallates in concentrations of the appropriate stoichiometric proportions yields a powder that can be screen-printed to give an ideal microstructure.
An added advantage of the mixed oxides is that the resistivity of the material may be tailored to a desired value by adjusting the Mo/W ratio within the single phase field. Varying this ratio can also adjust the catalytic properties of the material.
These and further and other objects and features of the invention are apparent in the disclosure, which includes the above and ongoing written specification, with the claims and the drawings.